1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to tethers for small animals, and particularly to a pet harness with restraint that includes a detachable or permanently attached rigid bar or rod extending laterally across the upper portion of the harness for preventing the pet from escaping through an opening in a fence or the like.
2. Description of the Related Art
Most pet owners are quite concerned for the welfare of their pets. With increasing traffic in most urban and suburban areas, it has become increasingly dangerous to allow a pet to wander from the yard, and in many areas laws have been passed to require pet owners to restrain their pets to their own property.
Yet, in many instances the fencing (if any) is not adequate to restrain a pet within the yard or property. Oftentimes the owner may wish to provide more secure fencing, but local regulations or homeowners' associations do not permit the type of fencing that would adequately restrain the pet, particularly in the case of smaller pets that may be able to escape between the vertical members of a decorative fence.
One solution that has been developed is the installation of a line carrying an electronic signal around the property, and placement of a specialized collar on the pet. The collar includes a sensor to detect the electronic signal and a circuit delivering a shock to the pet when the electronic signal is detected from the line. There are a number of variations on this theme, including proximity sensors that deliver the shock if the animal wanders too far from the signal source, etc. There are several problems with such devices. First of all, they are relatively costly and are not foolproof, since they are ineffective if the collar battery fails. Another important point is that they are one-way devices that only prevent the collared pet from wandering outside the guarded area. They do nothing to prevent another animal from entering the property and possibly harming the pet, and the pet will not be able to escape readily with the system armed.
The present inventor is aware of a number of different harnesses and restraints for pets that have been developed in the past. An example of such is found in German Patent Publication No. 3,837,507 published on Jan. 25, 1990. This reference describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a pet harness having a chest or breast band and a collar, with the two components joined by a longitudinal chest strap and directly to one another at the shoulders or upper back.
Also, German Patent Publication No. 19,844,383 published on Apr. 6, 2000 describes (according to the drawings and English abstract) a harness surrounding the forward portion of the body of the animal and extending rearwardly to a crupper configuration. The crupper portion carries a container for the collection of feces deposited by the animal.
Thus, a pet harness with restraint solving the aforementioned problems is desired.